Given it up for Good Reads

It's a lot easier and I don't have to write so much.

Hunger Games

Katniss is forced to play a game set up by her government where she and one other person from her district will compete against each until one person is left. The object of the game is to stay alive. She and the others are treated like Olympic heroes at the start of the game, complete with an entourage to make sure each contestant is memorable. Katniss is primped and fussed over as well as coached on how to stay alive in the "arena." She is dropped there with a boy from her district and they are expected to fight to death with the others. This takes time as the arena is a large wilderness, and the contestants have sponsors that drop them food and other supplies to help them win. This is all broadcast on TV every night and all of the citizens of the this future United States tune in. The love story that unfolds between Katniss and the boy is told solely through her eyes. She's a bit naive for her sixteen years, but she's been focused solely on making sure her poor family has enough to eat for the last few years, so boys were not really on the front of her mind.
I enjoyed this book. I liked not knowing what the boys' true motivations were. In the end their relationship seems like more of one of survival, and of deeper need than just desire for love or sex. The author undoubtedly is making points about reality TV, disconnection from society and "big brother." There are some moments of killing that are disturbing, and it does make me wonder if some critics won't have some problems with it. It may mistakenly end up in Juvenile Fiction because the author wrote the Gregor books. I hope there is a sequel.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I loved this book. The Wimpy kid really is just that. He does mean stuff to his best friend, is picked on by his older brother and takes it out on his little brother. He gets his comeuppance but really does n't get what he's done wrong. He just ends up doing the right thing to make things work out because he misses his best friend so much, and really can't hang out with anybody else. Just like a real junior high kid. The illustrations are simple and witty.

Lion Boy

This is a fun book about a boy who can talk "cat." He is sent off on a quest to find his parents and winds up on a circus ship with a group of unhappy lions. The journey from the circus to freedom is well done, and a real page turner. Someday I'll get around to reading the other two.

good ones lately

Hands down, my favorite book this year has to be The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Selznick got his claws in my eyeballs and I did n't look up for 3 hours. I love the way he does n't mess around with a lot of sticky unimportant details. Hugo's father is simply portrayed as a loving yet odd guy who dies an untimely death. The automan is just a magical instrument. A well crafted fairy tale boys will love

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Boy this is a strange book. I was n't quite sure what to think of it until I read the author's epilogue. It seems to come from a deep personal need to explain what happened to her when her sister died. I can empathize with this, having lost my sister too, and feeling a need to somehow find a story within myself to help explain the ungraspable incident.

One way I judge whether or not I like a book, is how long it takes me to read it. This book took me just 3 days (which for me is quick.) Incidentally, I've been reading a "classic" fantasy novel for 2 years. I know it's good I just don't seem to need to know what happens to these characters. Anyway...

I had to know about Keturah. I wanted to know if she could, in fact, defeat or trick Lord Death. How many times was he going to let her go, without the story becoming repetitive? I loved that Keturah was a real girl, without uber feminist qualities that just don't fit a girl in an "historical" fantasy novel. She wants to find true love, she wants a house of her own and a baby of her own and the author does n't try to explain this away as a need that women of long ago may have had- but now we all know better.
This is one of my biggest complaints about historical fiction - The female who has a mind of her own and won't let anyone get in her way. She has a big speech , or moment when she has to make a choice about her life and blah, blah, blah. I love that this book did not have this at all. This girl knew who she was on the first page, and her surprising choice at the end seems to come out of left field. But really it was n't that hard to believe. She does n't really grow in the book, she just comes to a realization about her life that she always knew. She's not petty or preachy, she's just a good solid character with a great story to tell.

francine green

I just finished The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Cushman, and found that my opinion varied from most of the reviewing sources. Booklist and SLJ gave this book starred reviews, but sometimes I wonder if a book is by a notable author, has a good premise and some shining moments; if that's not the formula for giving a book a starred review. I just did n't think this book merited the praise it received.

The premise of the book is terrific for current event studies. It is so closely linked with the current climate concerning Arabs, war objectors, and religion it almost seems too easy a comparison. The McCarthy era must have been a very worrisome time for children, just as the post 9/11 world is.
I also find the dialogue of the book to be very natural and funny. Francine's insights into the teenage world of her sister, the frightened world of her brother, and the stand-offish position of her father are well drawn. I had some confusion with her mother though. The mother appears to be going through some sort of change in the book, but I don't really understand why.

The biggest complaint I have about the book is the sloppy, simple ending. Francine is a supposedly timid and go-along-to-get-along sort of girl. She befriends a girl who is decidedly the opposite. Sophie denounces the hunt for communists, questions the nuns at their Catholic school, and wants nothing to do with boys. When the time comes for Francine to pull out her courage and become her own person to defend Sophie, the book abruptly ends. There are too many questions left unanswered.

Children's books need n't tie up every loose end. The reader should be expected to come to some of their own conclusions. But the climax came at the end of the book, in fact, the last page. It could even be argued at the last sentence. The world and characters that had been drawn before this were not vivid enough for me to feel like I could decide what they would do. I felt like I got half the story.

Oh Well, that's just my opinion. Maybe you liked it? Tell me why; was I missing something?

Dana

customer service and registration for children's programs

Customer service is a long overdue topic for public libraries, most likely due to the fact that libraries now have more competition for public funds. It should not be restricted to adult services, nor should it only apply to reference services. Another, sometimes overlooked, issue of customer service regards the ease at which patrons/customers have access to programs. One point I think gets little attention is the overuse of registration for programs in children's departments. I've worked in systems where registration is a common practice, and other places where it was used only when the fire code may be violated, there was a limited number of supplies (scrapbooking, tie-dying, etc.) or it was a special artist-in-residence workshop (poetry, visual art etc.) In all honesty, the places that required no sign-up for most programs had higher quality programs, and more people coming.
In fact, one reason there was no registration in one library was because of the number of people attending programs. We offered a 0-3 years program 3 times a week with sometimes over 100 people attending. The branch was full and loud and the staff was invigorated (not stressed out) by all of the little kids playing games and singing. Was there chaos? Absolutely. Was it fun? Yes, 3 times a week. Registration would have been a nightmare.
The kids and caregivers loved the program and viewed it as a big party every week. The library was seen as a social gathering space, and our picture book circulation was through the roof. (Yes, I think circ. stats mean something)
Registration needs to be evaluated and not simply done because it's always been done. Ask yourself "do I really need to use the extra staff time to do this?" Even if there is on-line registration, this still takes staff time that could be used for other, more important tasks (shelf-reading, providing more in-depth reference services, performing booktalks, sharpening computer skills etc.) The other down side of overuse of registration is the bad taste it leaves in the mouth of the customer who has been turned away. Does it really matter that someone is going to come to the lapsit program if their name is n't on the list? Do we really need to make sure no 7 year old siblings or friends come to the 4-5 year old program?
If we want people to feel comfortable and welcomed, the library needs to open its door to anyone for many of these children's programs. I've seen what can happen when registration gets thrown out in favor of all-inclusive programming; You're left with a busy, cheerful, vital community gathering space, and staff who can handle a high level of multi-tasking. And it's hard to deny public money to an organization that so many people use and enjoy.